IELTS Academic Writing Task 2: Causes and Solutions Essay – Structure and template

This type of question is very similar to Problems / Solutions IELTS Essay:

Why is this happening, and what measures can be taken to tackle this problem?

it can also look like this:

What are the reasons for this, and how could the problem be solved?

What are the causes of ...? What solutions can you suggest?

What do you think are the causes of these problems and what measures could be taken to solve them?

This type of question is very similar to Problems / Solutions IELTS Essay:

Why is this happening, and what measures can be taken to tackle this problem?

it can also look like this:

What are the reasons for this, and how could the problem be solved?

What are the causes of ...? What solutions can you suggest?

What do you think are the causes of these problems and what measures could be taken to solve them?

This type of essay is called Reasons or Causes / Solutions Essay, because you are asked about the REASONS and decisions.

Example of this type of essay:

Many offenders commit more crimes after serving the first punishment. Why is this happening, and what measures can be taken to tackle this problem?

Here you are given a problem, and the question is why this problem arises? And how to solve the problem?

HERE IS AN EFFECTIVE STRUCTURE FOR THIS TYPE IELTS ESSAY:

1§ Introduction: Paraphrase the Task + Add general words like: there are numerous reasons and there are certain measures to be taken to resolve the problem. 2 SENTENCES

2§ One of the main causes of the problem is that ... + support this idea+ example. The solution is for the (… who?) to (... do what?) ... , which would (...do what/result in what? e.x: attract more people/decrease..)

3§ Another reason is that ... + explain this -That is to say, To tackle this issue, ... (who?) should/ought to ..., in order to ...

4§ A third cause of the problem is that ... This means that ... (explain this reason) + Example. As a result, …. The way forward could be to ..., which would … ( do what?)

5§ Conclusion: In conclusion, ... (the problem) due to such reasons as ..., ... and ... (the reasons you've mentioned in the §s above). My view is that the main responsibility for solving the problem lies with ... (who? the government/the authorities/parents).

ATTENTION:

    DO NOT misrecognize this essay with Problems / Solutions Essay! They are very similar, but in Problems / Solutions they ask about problems and solutions, and in causes / solutions the problem is given in the task and they ask about reasons and solutions
    you should write the reason and solution in one paragraph. So it will be easier to connect your ideas without repeating yourself.
    You can write two or three reasons in one paragraph, and two or three decisions in another. The main thing is that everything should be logical, connected and WITHOUT repeats.
    Pay attention to super phrases for writing decisions. They are all different in the template. For example, The way forward could be to ... To tackle this issue, the government should ...
    Write a variety of patterns

Problems / solutions and causes / solutions are simple in structure and easy to write. Choose those ideas that you can explain and know a variety of words to support your statements.